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Monday, November 3

DIY Oversize Ruler {great as a height chart}

We've had a lot of fun keeping track of our boys' growth by measuring their height. I think the boys have even more fun than we do! I know a lot of people mark right on the door frame, but we wanted something that would be easy to take with us if we ever move. A simple board seemed like a good solution, but a little on the plain side. So I just painted on a few numbers to make it look like an over-sized ruler and BOOM - a height chart & fun art piece all in one!

And the best part is it SO easy to make. All you need is a little black acrylic paint and a board! We used a 1x8 (but you can use whatever width you like) cut to the height you want. If you buy a 6' long board you wouldn't have to cut it at all. We used a board from the garage and planned to cut it to 6' 6" so we would have room to paint a "6" on it, but had a mis-measure and ended up at 5' 6". Oops. Measure twice, cut once guys. My bad. It still worked out fine, though!

Then I just had to spend a few minutes painting it. I started by using my tape measure and a pencil to mark each inch along the side of the ruler. For the numbers I picked a font that looked old-ruler-ish and printed the numbers I needed in a large size. Then I did that deal where you color on the back of the page with pencil, lay it on the board, and trace around the numbers to leave their outline on the board. I used my black paint to fill in numbers and mark each inch along the ruler.

Of course you could do the same thing with any font you like if you want a different look!

We decided to mount ours 1' off the floor because that would be easy remember and replicate if we ever need to hang it somewhere else. Plus it looked pretty good and was low enough to mark newborn height and high enough that I'm pretty sure our boys will never outgrow it (tall genes? I think not.). We used a drywall screw in each corner to attach the ruler to the wall.

It fit perfectly in this little corner of the hallway that can't be used for anything else!

Do you (or did you) keep a height chart for your kids? Isn't it fun to look back and remember how tiny they used to be? I'd love to hear about your height chart!

Hi! I'm Georgia! I'm a full time wife & mommy, a lover of yard sales, curb finds, DIY, and all things thrifty. I'm always looking for low cost ways to make this place feel like home. More about me and my family